The best songs don’t just tell a story set to music – they capture a moment, encapsulate a feeling and draw in the listener, in a way that’s at once singularly personal and completely universal. When Toronto singer-songwriter Jason Collett was mulling over titles for his new album, the by-turns effervescent and elegiac Here’s To Being Here, he stumbled across a line in an anthology of poetry by his friend Emily Haines’ (Metric) late father Paul, a well-known avant-garde jazz poet.
“I really love the simple sentiment of the title. I think of it as a toast, a raising of the glass to the notion of being present to the moment. Recording this record was all about that for me. Capturing the bits of spontaneous magic in the studio that are just the happy accidents of the day. For me there's a kind of unadorned celebratory ring to the phrase ‘here’s to being here’. There's no irony in it, and lord knows we’ve all had enough of that for a while. I really like Haines’ playful writing. It’s like Dylan, almost Dada-esque; it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I really relate to that era of writing… Ginsberg, that pre-’60s movement.”
Fittingly, Collett’s own work draws upon such classic cultural touchstones while continuing to push the boundaries of the great singer-songwriter tradition. After over a decade of honing his sound and style, in the process becoming a key figure in Toronto’s burgeoning indie scene, Collett returns with the long-awaited follow-up to 2005’s critically acclaimed Idols of Exile.
But where Exile was one big house party featuring Collett’s Broken Social Scene brethren, the guestlist was scaled back a bit for Here’s To Being Here, which was built largely around Collett’s former touring band Paso Mino, with producer Howie Beck, New York guitar great Tony Scherr, The Stills’ Liam O’Neil, BSS’ Kevin Drew, and members of Apostle of Hustle and the 6ixty8ights all lending a hand in the studio.
When it came time to get off the road and begin to record some of the 40-plus tunes the prolific Collett had written over the past several years (the father of three children, the busy musician notes he’s able to find sanctuary and perspective to write while on tour), the recording process took place in two quick but productive sessions in winter 2007: four days in a barn an hour outside of Toronto with engineer Marty Kinack in February, and two days at Toronto’s Hallamusic studio in March.
“For me, the studio is a very different beast from playing live. What you’re trying to do is capture a bit of magic in an environment that doesn’t necessarily lend itself to that. Howie and I have a really dynamic thing going on,” Collett says of working with Beck, who also produced his last album. “He’s the Woody Allen of rock and roll: he’s neurotic, funny, he’s got crazy ears – he can hear things that other people can’t, which drives *ME* crazy. He works fast, and I like working fast.”
Here’s To Being Here is the sound of a seasoned songsmith fully coming into his own signature sound – from the ’70s AM-radio vibe of road-tested favourites like the rollicking relationship reflections “Not Over You” and “Out of Time” to sparse countrified ballads like Canadiana ode “No Redemption Song” and album closer "Waiting For the World" (partially inspired by Collett's friend James Loney, who was taken hostage in Iraq in 2005), the album redefines the contemporary guitar-based singer-songwriter framework for the current genre-blurring musical landscape. As tuneful as they are poetic, these masterful songs of hope in an age of disillusionment stick in your head as firmly as they capture your heart.
“I feel this is a rock-and-roll music record. Not rock, not rock and roll, but Rock ’n Roll music. I don’t care much for the roots-rock tag or the singer-songwriter one and all the banality those genres conjure up. Rock ’n Roll music encompasses all sorts of influences – country, blues, gospel... all those things, and I’m just part of that tradition,” Collett points out. “We decided midway through the record to avoid embellishing it with horns and strings – which I really love, but I think it sort of helps make the record more cohesive with the absence of that indulgence. There’s not a lot of trickery to it. It’s not like we really stripped things down, it’s just that we never gussied them up.”
Collett, who began writing to try to escape the boredom of the suburb of Bramalea where he grew up, and logged time in Toronto bands before going on to craft two full-length albums (1999’s Chrome Reflections and 2001’s Bitter Beauty) prior to joining the Arts & Crafts family in 2003, has always penned songs with a poet’s knack for reflection and a journalist’s eye for detail. That timeless quality permeates Here’s To Being Here, which not only allows listeners a peek into the songwriter’s thoughts, but also a glimpse into the everyday human emotions that bind us.
“I’m beginning to recognize that I have a body of work. I’ve always tried to make records with a classic sensibility, so that they’re records you can listen to 20 years from now,” Collett says. “I feel like I connect when I’m just being candid. I want to take the audience on a journey with me – by being as present in the moment as I can.”
With the release of Here’s to Being Here, Collett looks back at the ghosts of his past while keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the future. The title says it all: it’s a line of poetry, an affirmation, a toast to where we’ve come from, and where we’re going.
Tiny Ocean of Tears
Jason Collett Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of your peripheral vision
Now I know it wasn't fair of me
To always offer my opinion
I guess I should learn that sooner
But I always was the slower learner
Waiting for the next shoe to drop
Tiny ocean of tears
Tiny ocean of tears
Another tiny ocean of tears
I see you're writing your epitaph
It's a brand new glorious past
And when you asked me for a kiss
You made me feel like I was your Judas
I know it's complicated
But don't you think giving up is so overrated?
Tiny ocean of tears
Tiny ocean of tears
Another tiny ocean of tears
Don't you think it's so malicious
The way we give just to take with interest?
I can't seem to tell the difference
Between your blessing and window dressing
Chasing down another dollar
Stepping on another flower
Tiny ocean of tears
Another tiny ocean of tears
Tiny ocean of tears
I learn art from dead men
Sung from rooftop tenements, man
Tiny ocean of tears
A tiny ocean of tears
Tiny ocean of tears
Tiny ocean of tears
Tiny ocean of tears
The song "Tiny Ocean of Tears" by Jason Collett depicts the struggles of a relationship where one partner has a strong intuition and perception while the other person is slow to understand and adapt to their partner's needs. The use of "Tiny Ocean of Tears" in the chorus conveys the idea that this person cries frequently, and while each tear seems small, they add up to a vast ocean of tears. Throughout the verses, the lyrics switch between the two partners' perspectives, with lines like "I've been stunned by the clarity of your peripheral vision" and "I see you're writing your epitaph, it's a brand new glorious past," illustrating this shift. The singer acknowledges that they were unfair to constantly offer their opinion and that they were constantly waiting for something negative to happen, leading to tension and conflict in the relationship. While the one partner is willing to give up, the singer believes that giving up is overrated and that the relationship is worth fighting for.
Overall, the song is a sad commentary on the difficulties that come with being in a relationship where both partners have different perspectives and communication styles. The use of ocean imagery conveys the idea that small problems can add up quickly and have a profound impact on a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been stunned by the clarity
I'm amazed at how clear-sighted you are
Of your peripheral vision
Even the details you see from the edges are clear
Now I know it wasn't fair of me
I realize it wasn't right for me to do
To always offer my opinion
To express my views all the time
I guess I should learn that sooner
I should've learned that earlier
But I always was the slower learner
But I'm always late to learn
Waiting for the next shoe to drop
Anticipating the next problem to come up
Waiting for the next bottle up
Awaiting the next emotion to be suppressed
Tiny ocean of tears
A small pool of crying
Tiny ocean of tears
A small pool of crying
Another tiny ocean of tears
Another small pool of crying
I see you're writing your epitaph
I see you're planning your legacy
It's a brand new glorious past
It's your future that you want to be splendid
And when you asked me for a kiss
And when you asked me for affection
You made me feel like I was your Judas
You made me feel like I stabbed you in the back
I know it's complicated
I'm aware it's difficult
But don't you think giving up is so overrated?
But do you really think that surrendering is such a bad thing?
Tiny ocean of tears
A small pool of crying
Tiny ocean of tears
A small pool of crying
Another tiny ocean of tears
Another small pool of crying
Don't you think it's so malicious
Don't you think it's so hateful
The way we give just to take with interest?
The way we offer to take back with benefit?
I can't seem to tell the difference
I can't distinguish between
Between your blessing and window dressing
Between your true wishes and superficial actions
Chasing down another dollar
Hunting for more money
Stepping on another flower
Trampling on something beautiful
Tiny ocean of tears
A small pool of crying
Another tiny ocean of tears
Another small pool of crying
Tiny ocean of tears
A small pool of crying
I learn art from dead men
I gain wisdom from those who are no longer alive
Sung from rooftop tenements, man
Sung from the top floor of an ordinary building
Tiny ocean of tears
A small pool of crying
A tiny ocean of tears
A small pool of crying
Tiny ocean of tears
A small pool of crying
Lyrics © ARTS & CRAFTS MUSIC INC DBA GALLERYAC MUSIC
Written by: Jason Collett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind